Toddler Trials

Kat is mama to two wild boys, wife to one wild husband and owner of one lazy dog. When she’s not freelance writing, she writes her own blog This Is The Place. She lives near the lake in the west end and wears strange clothes. She’s also trying to see how abstract she can get her bio.

I’m going to just come out and say it: I absolutely am not a fan of arts and crafts. In fact, I am so not artsy and crafty, that I tend to steer my kids away from anything that might involve markers, glue, sparkles, popsicle sticks, anything. I hate it. I loathe it. My kids, on the other hand, absolutely love it and I constantly feel terrible for not letting them stretch their artistic muscles at home.     This...

Our children are not lacking in Christmas gifts. We have a lot of family nearby which eases some of our gift giving burden. When I was growing up the gift giving responsibility belonged solely to my parents. There weren’t grandparents or aunts and uncles nearby that showered us with presents. Every year my mother began saving for Christmas in January and each Christmas morning we had a ton of gifts under the tree. Every year since...

The back routine is very comforting and is a favourite amongst infants and toddlers alike. This is an excellent way to introduce a short amount of “tummy time” that is important for infant development while also benefiting from the calming effects that a back massage offers. Simply lay your baby over your lap on his stomach or place him directly on a blanket on the floor. This position will naturally encourage your baby to lift its head....

When I was growing up I remember having a couple of babysitters who would come over and watch me and my brother. It was always the same faces; the teenagers in our neighbourhood who we knew from seeing out on the street, Christmas get-togethers and when out riding our bikes. It was a very tight knit community. So when I became a parent and we finally felt ready to leave the girls with someone other than the grandparents, I thought there would...

Knowing that we weren’t having any more kids after our third has always been bittersweet for me. When we had our first, I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have another baby or how to even keep TWO kids alive. Since having our third, I wish we could just have more, but city living is expensive, as is daycare, so our family of five is complete. Working from home with a baby in the house has had its own unique challenges. While we...

One of the biggest challenges for parents as they embark on their parenting journey is to gain an understanding of their child’s unspoken language. Before a baby is able to communicate through verbal language that we, as parents can easily understand, nature equips them with ability to communicate their needs and desires through their body language. Once you understand this new language, it can be much easier to respond to your child’s needs...

Ingredients 1 box penne 24 shrimp, peeled and deveined, 21-30 count 2 tablespoons olive oil ½ teaspoon black pepper, course ground 2 cups baby arugula 1 cup light balsamic vinaigrette 1 lemon 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, minced ¼ cup Prosecco wine 8 lemon wedges ¼ cup sweet red peppers, diced 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, shredded   Directions Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the...

If your family loves The Very Hungry Caterpillar, you’ll love this little parody! Written especially for the mom to be, it had me smiling from start to finish.~ Sandy By the light of the moon, a very hungry pregnant lady starts to look for some food. As she snacks and samples her way through the pantry, her body is preparing for a big transformation… A lighthearted parody of Eric Carle’s much-loved classic The Very Hungry...

With three kids all two years apart, I haven’t had a lot of time for reflection over the last few years. As many moms and dads can agree, the early years are such a blur that by the time your kids walk into the doors of their first day of kindergarten, we’re all wondering how it all happened. Now, with all three of my kids out of the house full time, either in school or daycare, I’ve got a bit of time to breathe and look back on the...

Teething is an expected and often greatly anticipated developmental event in the early days of a baby’s life. The symptoms related to this milestone often vary greatly from one child to the next. For some children, teething is simply defined by excessive drooling followed by the exciting arrival of their first tooth. On the contrary, other children suffer with pain accompanied by bright red cheeks and irritability that often creates a...

Welcome to the world of Jaq Jaq Bird: art supplies for kids and kids-at-heart that are fun, easy to use and whimsical. Created by a mom in crisis, as all good products are, Jaq Jaq Bird combines everything that kids love: imagination, bright colours and usability in one easy travel package. The Doodle It & Go Chalk Book was inspired by Jaq Jaq Bird owner Grace's daughter, who used reams of paper to create stories, only to crumple them and...

Bumbos. Wipe warmers. Sleep sacks. Jolly Jumpers. Becoming a parent is a whirlwind not to mention overwhelming! And I don’t mean JUST because we are now responsible for these little human beings that we love more than anything in the world. Sure, that’s a lot to take in…but I ALSO mean because of the amount of STUFF that comes with them! The stuff! OMG the STUFF! It’s easy to get overwhelmed and carried away when making that...